The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday forecast a possibility of thunderstorms in Delhi for the next three to four days after rain and gusty winds lashed the National Capital Region in the morning lowering the temperature to 19.3 degrees Celsius, seven notches below the season’s average. The IMD issued an Orange alert for Haryana, North-East Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh while there is a possibility of heavy rain in North-East UP tomorrow while a thunderstorm is expected in other areas.
“Due to the moisture from the Arabian Sea, northwest India will have similar weather today and tomorrow. From tomorrow its effect will be mostly in UP and it will reduce from the next day onwards. There will be thunderstorms in North-Western India for 5 days…”: IMD scientist Dr Soma Sen Roy said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
“There is a possibility of thunderstorms in Delhi for the next 3-4 days. We have issued an Orange alert for Haryana, North-East Rajasthan, UP but tomorrow there is a possibility of heavy rain in North-East UP and thunderstorm in other areas,” she added.
Earlier today, uprooted trees and waterlogging led to traffic snarls in several parts of Delhi, including at the Vasant Vihar-Delhi airport road stretch, the Kanshiram Takkar Marg, and the Mahipalpur highway underpass.
Thunderstorm and more downpour have been predicted in the NCR during the day. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 32 degrees Celsius.
The department said a cluster of cloud patches is passing over Delhi-NCR. Under its influence, a thunderstorm or dust storm with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with 40-70 kmph speed would continue in Delhi-NCR and its adjoining areas during the next two hours, the IMD said in a report around 6.30 am.
The relative humidity was recorded 100 per cent at 8.30 am.
Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the “moderate” category with a reading of 110 at 9 am, Central Pollution Control Board data showed.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
On Friday, the maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 34.5 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal.
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